Magnetic Collective Swimming of Bioinspired Ternary Nanocomposites

초록

Stimuli-responsive unary materials and binary composites have employed for actuation of soft robots. However, collective motion of multiple untethered soft robots is challenging without batteries and sensors. Herein, we present ternary polymeric nanocomposites capable of magnetic collective swimming. Core-shell design of nanoporous carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY) and magnetic particles is inspired by skeletal muscles surrounding spongy bone in musculoskeletal system. The magnetic particles are attached to the CNTY owing to sol-gel polymerized elastomers providing the function of connective tissue. The polymeric soft robots swim with multimodal motility of rectilinear translational motion and rotational motion under quadrupolar electromagnetic field. [JJW1] Multiple soft robots can be adaptably organized through magnetically interactive dynamic soft joints when varying the rotational frequency of the magnetic field. We will discuss collective swimming of modular soft robots that can transport 850 microbeads above water and a semi-submerged milli-bead.